


The Downsides of Dragonkeeping

by FujurPreux



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-30
Updated: 2010-06-30
Packaged: 2017-10-10 08:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/97454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujurPreux/pseuds/FujurPreux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Great Dragon has hiccups. Everyone panics. Merlin tries to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Downsides of Dragonkeeping

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 'a cell' prompt of the [story_lottery](http://community.livejournal.com/story_lottery/) challenge @ LJ.

  
Do you know what happens when a dragon has hiccups? Everything shakes. Everything. And that includes the castle over the cave where the dragon is imprisoned. Which isn't funny at all, as Merlin finds out when he's woken up by it and told he must leave carrying with him only the bare essentials.

Once he's seen that Gaius, Arthur, Morgana and Gwen are all right, since Arthur is too busy leading the people outside the walls, Merlin finds a way to sneak back in. He doesn't really want to, but he won't be able to live with himself if the castle falls down and crushes the dragon no one else knows is underneath, and he didn't do anything to help him.

Merlin, then, lights a torch--with magic, since there's no one around to see him and he's in a hurry--and goes downstairs as fast as he can without tripping. All of that just to find the dragon perched on his usual rock with an amused look on his face while he hiccups and everything around him trembles. (It worries Merlin that he can read the dragon's expressions and that it gets easier each time.)

"Young warlock," the dragon greets him.

Merlin blinks as he puts the pieces together and realizes what is going on. "This. All of this... is you."

"I'm not doing it on purpose."

Merlin has to concede that: hiccups tend to be involuntary. But, from what he saw in the chaos up there, no one else in Camelot seems to have gone through a similar experience, and the dragon has been here for a very long time.

"Well, this is the first time this has happened to me in more than forty years," the dragon says between hiccups, as if he's reading Merlin's mind.

"How much longer is it going to last? There are a lot of upset and scared people up there. And a lot of broken pottery. And Gaius's laboratory! It's a mess!"

"Hmm." The dragon puts a claw under his chin and ponders. And hiccups. "The last time, it went on for three weeks."

Merlin gapes. "Three weeks? That's too long! Isn't there something I can give you? A remedy you can take? Have you tried holding your breath or something like that?"

Before the dragon can answer, there are footsteps coming down the stairs. It's the first time since Merlin started going there that this happens, so he panics.

"Throw your torch down, young warlock, and hide behind that rock! Quick!"

Merlin does as the dragon tells him. Just in time, because as soon as he gets out of sight and his torch is extinguished, king Uther shows up, holding a torch of his own with one hand and his sword with the other. It takes Merlin a terrible moment to remember that it makes sense that Uther knows about the dragon, since it was him who had him chained. Nevertheless, Uther looks angry, and that's never a good sign.

"I demand that you stop whatever it is you are doing!" Uther says, raising his sword.

The dragon bares his teeth--which would've been more impressive without the spasms and the funny noises. "But isn't this king Uther Pendragon, finally honoring his guest after all this years by showing up in his cell."

"I command you for the second time to stop!"

"Command all you want, Uther; I will not obey you."

"Then, I will kill you."

"You will not." The dragon spreads his wings and leaves, just as he does when he doesn't want to keep talking to Merlin.

Uther roars in frustration and leaves the cave. After that, Merlin waits a few minutes in the dark before calling his friend again. In those minutes, however, the dragon finds a way to make his hiccups louder, this time obviously on purpose.

The dragon descends. Merlin can't see him clearly now, but he feels the wind raised by the dragon's wings and he hears when he perches down again on his rock.

Merlin thinks it's for the better not to dwell on Uther's visit. "You were going to tell me about a remedy."

"I was?"

"Yes." Merlin hopes that makes it sound he's more certain than he really is. "In any case, you should get it or Uther will kill you."

The dragon smiles (Merlin just knows he's doing it). "He will not. He cannot. You shouldn't concern yourself about that, young warlock."

"And what about the people up there? And yourself? This must be very uncomfortable to you, too."

"It is. It most definitely is. But, can you imagine why it lasted three weeks the last time?"

Merlin realizes that he can. He doesn't like the answer. "Because there is no cure."

"What about time? Time can even take hiccups from you humans away too, doesn't it?"

Merlin bits his lower lip. Sometimes, he wishes he could punch the dragon in the nose--and not hurt himself more than he would hurt the dragon.

Still, he can't let things stand like that. He has to do something. For the dragon and for the people who live in the castle. "I'll check the book. There has to be something in there." He then follows the stone wall with his hand until he finds the stairs and climbs all the way up until he finds some light.

He is so very glad his first instinct amidst all the chaos was to hide the book in his satchel underneath clothes and some bread. That way, he doesn't have to sneak all the way to his room while hoping Uther isn't around any longer.

Merlin takes the book out and flips through the pages. "It better has a section on dragon ailments," he mumbles.

But, if there is one, he doesn't get to find out just yet.

Footsteps again. And grumbling. Uther's grumbling.

Merlin jumps to hide behind a column the best he can, the book pressed against his chest.

Luckily, Uther doesn't see him. The king goes downstairs in a hurry.

Merlin tries to decide if he should follow him; there are so many important things at stake right now.

Suddenly, the trembling stops. The shaking stops. Everything goes back to normal.

Merlin freezes. His first urge is to run down to the cave to see what Uther has done. But, before he can do it, the footsteps are coming up again. Merlin takes a peek when the king passes by. He doesn't see the king's face, but at least he's not covered in blood.

But, do dragons have blood?

Once Uther has left, Merlin rushes downstairs. He conjures up a ball of fire; he doesn't have time for a torch this once.

He finds the dragon perched on his usual rock with an amused look on his face. No hiccups this time.

"What--?" Merlin begins.

"I told you he wouldn't kill me, didn't I?"

"Yes. But what did just--"

The dragon grinned. "There is a flower from a land far away." He looked at his wings. "Even flying, it took me three weeks to get there last time."

"But how did Uther--"

"It seems that Gaius had a few flowers stored up in one of his many jars."

"It's all over, then," Merlin says after a moment.

"It is. We won't have to worry about this again for a couple of decades, young warlock."

Merlin rubs his forehead with the hand that's not keeping the fireball up. Sometimes, he really, really wishes he could punch the dragon in the nose. But he'll find a way later. Right now, he has to help to clean up the mess in the castle. Thus, this time, he's the one to go away first.

He swears he can hear the dragon snickering behind his back.


End file.
